Yogyakarta – Destination NOW

I had NO idea that Yogyakarta had so much to offer. I THOUGHT I’d be able to fit everything into one post. I was so very wrong.

We have been careening from one fabulous activity to the next! Widi, our trip leader, has been delighting us with lots of choices for our “free” time.

Our third day in Yogyakarta started with a trip to the local market, where we were each given 20,000 rupiahs and the name of an Indonesian item to locate and then purchase. My item was kacang pangang (which turns out to be very long string beans). We also needed to learn the vendor’s name, take and post a selfie with the vendor, on WhatsApp. We ALL rose to the challenge and had so much fun doing so.

Our purchases were brought to the village of Jambidan, where they were magically incorporated into the many delicious dishes that we consumed for lunch.

But first, we were escorted through the village by its chief, where we participated in various daily activities, like separating the rice from the chaff using the traditional method,

The child in the foreground is holding mom’s cell phone, while mom processes rice

creating a printed fabric using local plants and a mallet,

feeding the livestock,

seeing the village sights,

and finally visiting the chief in his home, where he proudly showed off his kris (ceremonial dagger), which was given to him by the sultan.

After lunch, we had a lively discussion with members of the village, during which we questioned each other about our cultures. Not surprisingly, given the composition of the group, our focus was on changes in women’s lives.

Saundra decided to sit with the villagers, right in front of the chief’s wife.

What an interesting experience!

Although Widi and Anjit (our local guide) had suggested activities for the afternoon, I chose to chill out by the pool until it was time to meet up with Micki, Jeanne and Laurie for dinner.

Being somewhat lazy (okay, maybe it is more accurate to describe myself as really lazy) I enlisted the help of ChatGPT to find us a reasonably priced restaurant with something other than fried food, within walking distance of our hotel. Within seconds, I was presented with two choices, one of which Micki had walked by, and thought it would be suitable. We had dinner at Paprika, the restaurant in the glorious Phoenix Hotel.

What, you were expecting photos of food? well you all know what pizza, pasta, fruit, fish, veggies and dessert look like. For $27, we had a choice of every food item imaginable, plus an alcoholic beverage — we all chose a glass of wine, because it is incredibly expensive here! If we wanted more wine, we could get it. We just had to pay for it, but the buffet was “all you care to eat”. So we did. We weren’t sure what we enjoyed more—the delicious food or the tour that the restaurant’s hostess so graciously provided.

Another day, another UNESCO site. But THIS time, we visited a Hindu temple, Prambanan.

You know that old saying “God takes care of fools and children”? Well, some people say I fit into BOTH categories, (especially my sisters, when they were being mean) but it actually is true—at least in my case.

Remember the walking stick that caused me to check a bag? Well, I forgot to bring it with me. (At least I’m consistently spacey). Fortunately, God ( or the force) was looking out for me, because although the stairs were uneven, they weren’t as many or as steep.

I was able to visit Shiva, the Destroyer’s, temple, including all four shrines, although I only photographed my two favorites.

The wall carvings told the religious story of Ramayana for those unable to read, just like the Catholic cathedrals and the Buddhist temples visually represented those religious beliefs.

When we had had our fill of the temple experience, we headed for the bus, but were stopped by this young woman who wanted a photo so she could show her friends how HUGE women grow in America.

Jeanne and I look like we are able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, standing next to these petite Indonesians!

According to our itinerary, we were supposed to be heading for lunch “on our own”, but Widi had yet another surprise in store for us. Instead, we visited his friend, where we were treated to enough Indonesian snacks that lunch later was unimaginable.

But wait, there’s more! after a brief rest, we headed to a batik institute, where we learned how these intricate designs are created. What a laborious process!

How could we leave without making a purchase? Of course, I needed a photo with the woman who created what will become a gift.

Our stay in Yogyakarta is rapidly coming to an end.

Our very fashionable guide, Widi, preparing us for airport check-in

Another beautiful, modern airport, with fantastic artwork.

Thanks to the Somerset Hills YMCA, I can hold this pose. We are boarding shortly, so you know the drill. Published without proof reading!

We were more than ready to leave the crazed activity in Jakarta for the smaller, more peaceful city of Yogyakarta. The bus ride from the airport showed us the Indonesia we had imagined—green fields, rice paddies and palm trees for as far as we could see, with the mountains (volcanoes?) rising majestically in the distance.

OAT ensured that we made the most of our time in Yogyakarta by scheduling our home visit for the evening of our travel day. After checking in to another beautiful hotel, we barely were able to unpack and freshen up (sorta), before meeting our host at 6PM.

We were divided into four groups of four, so I was pleased to be sharing the experience with Micki, Jeanne and Laurie.

Okay, I’ll confess to being more than a little concerned when after driving for about a half an hour, we reached what appeared to be a rather questionable neighborhood. Fortunately, the main street was the only sketchy part. It opened up to what I can only describe as an incredibly beautiful alley, paved with intricate stone designs.

Our host, Joko’s “real” job is as a professional musician, playing in an 8 piece band. You might be able to see his instrument in the photo below, leaning against the wall, between Joko and me.

In his “spare” time, Joko is also the village chief, an unpaid position that comes with a lot of responsibilities. Maybe that’s why the sultan visited him? Or could it have been because of his heritage house, which has been in Joko’s family for many generations? The reason wasn’t clear, but we were quite impressed that WE got to dine where a sultan had eaten.

The sultan on the left, Joko on the right

Uti, Joko’s wife, had prepared quite a feast for us. We sampled an array of traditional Indonesian dishes, while chatting with his daughter, Denise, whose English was excellent. This young Muslim woman and her enterprising friend started their own travel business.

It is hard to describe the magnificence of this visit, so I’ll let my photos speak for me.

The next morning, we visited the world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur.

Not everyone in the group made it to the temple’s highest level.

I was VERY grateful to have brought my hiking pole because the stairs were unevenly steep, and many flights were without handrails. It was worth checking my luggage to have this vital support, especially on the way down.

Although I didn’t NEED to purchase a photo, I bought two because I wanted to give the photographer money for his desire to earn a living by standing in the hot sun, taking a chance that tourists would want to buy the photos that he used his resources to print.

Red headed Shoshana was born in Israel, lives in Oakland, is a solo traveler, who we readily adopted as our newest buddy. But her REAL claim to fame is she is the only one on this trip who is under the age of 70!

Those of us who chose to do so gathered at 4 PM for the optional tour of Yogyakarta on the back of a motorbike. How to describe experience? It was equal parts harrowing and exhilarating. I am so bloody glad Laurie talked me into it!

The experience was a whole lot more than just cruising through the crowded streets of Yogyakarta on the back of a scooter We stopped to enjoy street musicians, visit the sultan’s palace, sample street food and enjoy an included dinner.